1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to undergarment protection devices for protection from bodily harm from underwire and non-underwire bras, specifically to a cushioned structure attached to a wire clip that prevents exposure of underwires to the skin of the user where the encasing for an underwire is torn or continuously rubs or presses against the skin of the user causing punctures or bruises to the wearer's skin. The invention also relates to the protection of the skin from any bra in the front, sides or back where friction or movement of the bra causes bruises to the wearer from constant rubbing against the body.
2. Prior Art
The undergarment industry provides consumers with an enormous selection of bras to be worn under clothing to support the breasts. The underwire bra is one of the most popular bras on the market because of its unique designs and its ability to lift up the breast in low-cut and covered blouses and other outer wear clothing.
Originally, these underwire bras were designed to provide the user with the appearance of an uplifted set of breast. However, underwire bras can be very uncomfortable after continued use and washing because the underwires protrude out from the bras over time and bruise or puncture the wearer. Even new underwire bras that have not been worn excessively tend to do the same. In some cases where the underwire does not surface, the casing for the underwire presses against the skin and rubs and bruises the skin during normal wear and movement by the user.
To address this underwire problem and the friction caused by movement in bras, inventors have created many types of underwire protection devices that cover the tips of the underwire so that if the underwire becomes exposed, it will not puncture or cause harm to the skin of the wearer. Inventors have also created devices that help restrict the movement of the bras. Lazarian's U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,268 addressed the sliding of a bra by inventing a garment support device which has a slip-resistant material impregnated into a support material, wherein selective placement of the device onto a garment decreases the friction between garment and the wearer's skin without deforming the contact surface, thus helping to prevent the garment from sliding relative to the wearer's skin. Although this device helps to keep the bra from sliding or moving excessively, it does not address the problem of protecting the wearer from the underwire exposure caused by the tearing of fabric. Other prior art inventors of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,780,080; 4,770,650; 3,777,763; 5,830,040 and 3,605,753, invented devices that attach to the tips of the underwires to prevent damage to the user in the event of unexpected exposure; yet, these inventors did not necessarily address the bulkiness of the casing of these underwire bras that rub against the skin and cause bruises to the wearer. Other inventors of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,730,641 and 5,749,767 changed the shapes of the ends of the underwire tips to prevent the end of the tip from becoming exposed from tearing or damage to the casing of the underwire bra. Furthermore, inventors of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,435,939; 6,682,395 and 6,896,580 invented underwires that completely covered and protected the underwires with silicon rubber or latex (Lin), gelatinous material (Falla et al.) and gelatinous strips (Falla et al.), respectively. These inventions by Lin and Falla et al. still provide additional layers of fabric casings to cover the underwires that are bulky and that have still resulted in bruising many users due to friction. Lastly, each of these inventors did address a specific problem for the wearer but the underwire bra continues to be uncomfortable for many users even when the underwire is not exposed. Other inventors have also patented many other solutions to underwire exposure as cited in the patent applications of the aforementioned inventors and patents.